The Dallas Cowboys’ playoff history has been bad, to say the least, for over two decades.

It has been nearly 30 years since the last NFC Championship appearance for Dallas.

Since that Super Bowl run, the Cowboys playoff record is a measly 5-13, with three of those losses coming in the last three seasons.

Needless to say, Dallas is long overdue for a serious postseason run.

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said from Senior Bowl he understands fan disappointment, pessimism after latest playoff letdown. “There’s no way they’re going to explicitly trust you until you get it done. …Until we compete at that level and we get the job done, there’s going to be… pic.twitter.com/FuJ56PllPf

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) January 30, 2024

We all know the memes will say Cowboys fans claim it is their year every year.

However, it is easy to see a pathway to postseason success in 2024.

This is despite a lackluster offseason that left fans wanting anything more with coaching changes and free agency.

Those two coinciding facts show both the chance the front office is missing and the level of talent on the roster regardless.

The roster has some serious ability, and winning in the regular season has been almost routine for them.

So, let’s look past all the negativity for a minute and talk about the sky-high potential for the 2024 Cowboys.

Coaching Improvements

While fans may have wanted more shakeups to the coaching staff, the Cowboys still got better with the moves made this offseason.

Dan Quinn forced their hand by accepting the Commanders head coaching job.

Dallas responded by adding an experienced, tough, and most importantly, prepared replacement.

Think back to the Green Bay playoff loss if you can stomach it.

The number one takeaway I had was that Dallas was not ready.

The #Cowboys surrendered a franchise playoff-record 42 points while being eliminated by the Packers and failed to create a takeaway or sack for the first time all season.

But in three seasons, Dan Quinn’s defense leads NFL in takeaways, defensive TD, and points off turnovers.

— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) January 18, 2024

Specifically on defense, a unit with all the talent in the world came out flat and unprepared.

If there is one change you can expect from Zimmer and his newly hired assistants, it’s that performances like that won’t happen.

The Cowboys will give up points, they might even get blown out in a game.

But Zimmer’s entire persona and résumé screams preparedness.

With a locked-in defense in the postseason, there’s no telling what they could do.

Rookie Class Boost

It’s hard to overstate how bad the 2023 Cowboys rookie class was.

Mazi Smith, Luke Schoonmaker, DeMarvion Overshown, and Viliami Fehoko, were their first four picks.

With Overshown injured, can you name any notable thing those picks did?

Smith, while getting on the field the most out of those four, struggled mightily and is now recovering from a major shoulder surgery.

Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer has yet to work on field with NT Mazi Smith, who is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Zimmer said he and Smith have discussed at what weight Smith wants to play. Zimmer declined to disclose number, but Smith is at 305 now and working toward it. pic.twitter.com/w7xtvHCiWi

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) May 14, 2024

Schoonmaker and Fehoko were complete non-factors, with the latter being on IR for much of the 2023 campaign.

The late-round flyers didn’t do much of anything either.

A jump from those guys, especially the first two picks, is needed, but you can’t bank on that.

Rather, the Cowboys have some certified dogs coming in to help from this year’s class to supplement last year’s.

Two new starters on the offensive line, a second-round pass rusher, and a starting linebacker.

And, that’s not including some high-potential depth picks.

In hindsight, that’s a pretty good haul for Dallas.

These picks were desperately needed with how much they lost in free agency, and it is safe to say they properly reloaded.

Star Power All Over

If there is one thing you can’t argue about Dallas, it is that they have as much star power as any team in the league.

They consistently send multiple players to the Pro Bowl and have All-Pro honorees.

While those accolades don’t produce playoff wins alone, it is a major part of getting there.

Offensively, the team has an All-Pro quarterback, wide receiver, and two offensive linemen, as well as emerging young stars who blossomed in 2023.

On the defensive side, lining up against Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Trevon Diggs, and DaRon Bland is just flat-out scary.

The talent level of the roster, despite all they lost this offseason, is still elite.

With everyone the Cowboys lost still pretty crazy to think they have 7 All Pros still on the roster:
Dak
Ceedee
Tyler Smith
Zach Martin
Micah Parsons
Daron Bland
Trevon Diggs

All drafted.

— (Foots The King) (@FootsDaKing) March 16, 2024

If you’re going to make a run at the conference title game and beyond, you have to start with a great roster, and Dallas has that.

The only thing standing in their way is themselves.

If the Cowboys’ playoff push in 2024 does not include repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot or coming out completely unprepared, there is no reason why they can’t make a run at it.

You never know when the window will close, and Dallas needs to realize that.

They must make this season a special one in the postseason.